The invention relates to a lubricator that provides a pulse of lubrication after counting a plurality of pneumatic pulses.
Injection lubricators are used to inject pulses of lubrication into equipment (e.g., air tools, cylinders, valves, etc.) upon receiving pneumatic pulses, which could be pneumatic pulses being supplied to drive the equipment being lubricated. The lubricators typically employ pistons that are driven by pneumatic pulses and have adjustable stroke lengths to adjust lubricant pulse volume. On some equipment, the minimum lubricant stroke volume setting results in delivery of more lubricant than is required for optimum operation and life of the device being lubricated, resulting in wasted lubricant. With some air tools, too much lubricant can have a deleterious effect on tool life.
Thrasher, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,316 discloses an injection lubricator that employs a counting mechanism to provide delivery of a pulse of lubricant after the occurrence of a fixed number (ten) of pneumatic pulses. Upon each pneumatic pulse, a piston moves to incrementally advance a rotating valve member 1/10 of a revolution via a ratchet and pawl mechanism. Once during each revolution of the valve member, a hole in the valve member lines up with an outlet that directs a pneumatic pulse to the lubricant injecting mechanism. To increase the number of pneumatic pulses per each lubricant pulse to 100, two counting mechanisms are provided in series.